Victors and vanquished from F1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix street clash

Loser: Franco Colapinto

The only thing worse than colliding with your teammate is unintentionally taking out innocent bystanders alongside him. Alpine was not a happy place on Saturday night after all their efforts to close the gap in the battle for fifth evaporated in an instant when Colapinto slammed into Pierre Gasly's sidepod.

Colapinto's error in Baku even led to calls from his other victim, world champion Lando Norris, for a race suspension. Such comments could be seen as a momentary outburst, especially since the McLaren driver reiterated his feelings multiple times in the mixed zone.

Was it an overreaction following a frustrating race for Norris? Possibly. Yet, one gets the feeling that Colapinto's superior, Flavio Briatore, was also less than pleased...

"I know Franco has taken full responsibility, as he should; he braked far too late given the context of the race and the safety car restart. It was a very poor decision for someone with his experience."

Flavio. Never one to hold back his thoughts, often one to scrutinize his drivers.

McLaren team principal and fellow Italian Andrea Stella put it best. "I suppose this is under review by the stewards, and I’m sure Flavio will also have his say. It’s uncertain who will be tougher..."

With Colapinto having shown enough promise this season to secure a 2027 extension, the incident in Baku will likely be overlooked. However, knowing Briatore, it will not be easily forgotten.

Winner: Sergio Perez / Loser: Valtteri Bottas

Was Sergio Perez simply exceptional or was Valtteri Bottas just underwhelming? The noticeable performance disparity between the two Cadillac drivers indicates a mix of both.

Perez was captivating from the start in Baku, reconnecting with his former reputation as a street circuit specialist, and pushed his Cadillac beyond its expected limits. While Bottas struggled for pace, Perez kept pace with the Audis during the first stint, ultimately establishing a pitstop gap that expanded to 52 seconds by the time Bottas pitted on lap 28.

Staying in the slipstream of Gabriel Bortoleto and later Carlos Sainz helped Perez momentarily, but it doesn't account for the vast performance difference.

"This has been one of my best weekends in Baku; I managed to extract 150% from that car," Perez stated. "We were battling cars that were a second or two faster than us, thanks to the overtake mode, and we stuck with them throughout the first stint." Meanwhile, Bottas mentioned he needed to seek answers after managing only to compete with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso. One hopes he discovers some.

Winner: Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar marked his return from injury with what is likely his best performance for Red Bull so far, rivaling his first grand prix podium in Zandvoort last year.

Despite nursing a fractured left wrist, Hadjar qualified fourth and finished third, proving competitive with teammate Max Verstappen on the favored soft tyres. He was even in a position to challenge his teammate just before the first safety car was deployed.

Hadjar's unexpected three-week absence due to a boxing injury hindered his ongoing development, but the tenacious 21-year-old demonstrated he doesn't crumble under pressure.

Loser: McLaren

Norris has every reason to be frustrated with Colapinto, and he might want to consider another break from social media given the likely influx of negative messages. However, the reality is he should never have found himself in a position to be taken out by midfielders to start with. Norris had a notably poor weekend by his usual high 2026 standards, as McLaren's deficiencies in low-speed performance and aerodynamic efficiency were particularly pronounced in Baku.

Nevertheless, Oscar Piastri still managed to qualify third and seemed poised for a podium until he joined Norris in misjudging his braking into Turn 1, which sent Norris into the midfield before the safety car appeared.

So, what was going on with Norris? Team principal Stella explained that the Brit had been grappling with an intermittent fuel injection issue that hampered Norris's straight-line speed in both qualifying and the race, while the team struggled with its energy deployment strategy. Yet, Norris also acknowledged his own shortcomings. "I had no chance out there with the speed I had, but I'm sure there were aspects of my driving that I could improve," he admitted. "I need to analyze what I can do better next time."

Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon enjoyed a positive Baku weekend. Franco Colapinto, not so much.

Winner: Esteban Ocon

Now there’s a name that hasn’t appeared here frequently this year, and Baku offered a hard-fought opportunity to redeem himself.

It has been widely speculated that Ocon has been on the verge of leaving Haas. Before the Baku weekend, it became apparent that he had taken further steps toward that end by declaring himself a "free agent." Among potential replacements, Ferrari junior Rafael Camara is believed to have impressed the team during a recent test at Portimao.

What’s it like to perform in F1 knowing you’re on borrowed time and your team is pursuing more appealing options for 2027? We can only speculate. However, it must have been challenging for Ocon to navigate, trying to secure his future in a car that only occasionally allowed him to showcase his abilities.

In Baku, Ocon's VF-26 functioned smoothly. After seizing eighth place from teammate Ollie Bearman, he also defended his position vigorously in the press.

"I can confidently say I deserve that, not all the other nonsense. I’ve raced against everyone out there and I’ve consistently held my own. I’ve won in every championship I’ve participated in. I won in Formula 3. I won in GP3. I won in Formula 1. I can do it, you know? I’m among the best out there, and I’m not shy to assert it."

Loser: Aston Martin

Any expectations Aston Martin had following their significant upgrade in Hungary now appear to have dissipated. Although Honda's subsequent power unit enhancements may have improved certain areas, they are still far from the competition.

In fact, the car's reliability and drivability seem to have regressed rather than improved, evident by Lance Stroll retiring from his fourth consecutive grand prix and Fernando Alonso constantly battling issues as well.

But the most glaring shortfall remains in performance, as Alonso and Stroll regularly lost up to 30km/h on Baku's long straight compared to Mercedes.

Honda's struggles have reignited discussions about whether the regulations should offer them more support, especially as the FIA's ADUO catch-up mechanism is due for revisions. Yet, having already been granted extra development latitude earlier this year, Honda must demonstrate significant progress by 2027.